The Boat Of Hope from Bernie Hollywood OBE at Liverpool Cathedral

Adventurer Bernie spent three months rowing solo across the Atlantic in the small boat to raise awarness of mental health issues.
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Visitors to Liverpool Cathedral this half term will get the chance to see the ‘Boat of Hope’ that was rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean by adventurer Bernie Hollywood OBE to raise awareness of mental health issues.

Bernie, 63, entered the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which saw him journey over 3,500 miles in his boat.

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"A journey that would’ve normally taken anything between 50 to 90 days actually took me 109 days. So, it was over three months at sea,” he told LiverpoolWorld. “The boat and I endured over 17 storm systems, two capsizes and a broken leg.

Bernie, a champion of openly talking about mental health, added: "Being on my own in the stressful situations that I was under, and also with my health failing really sort of led me to stages where I was having panic attacks and also having just complete breakdowns."

The ‘charity guru’ has joined forces with local author Natalie Reeves Billing to help raise awareness of the impact of the recent pandemic on young children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Natalie Reeves and her social enterprise, Split Perspectivz CIC, has been busy creating 5,000 child mental health boxes. Inside, a competition which asked for the children’s vision of hope.

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Bernie was given special permission from Liverpool Council and its Mayors to have the boat named ‘City of Liverpool’ in honour of his late father and grandfather, who spent their entire working lives at the Port of Liverpool.

Measuring 7 metres x 2 metres, it will be available for visitors to view, resting at the heart of The Well at Liverpool Cathedral until Sunday 4 June.

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